Leeds United's performances against some of the Premier League elite and their Elland Road record give them belief ahead of a 'wonderful' game against Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola's title chasers are on a roll, winning five on the bounce and losing just twice in the last 23 outings. Daniel Farke joked on Thursday that people will scour data to try and find reasons why Leeds can do well against Man City, and listed reasons why the visitors present such a threat. But there is encouragement to be found in the way Leeds have performed against others at the top end of the Premier League table this season.
They held third-placed Aston Villa to a draw last weekend and came minutes away from victory. They drew at home with fourth-placed Manchester United, beat and drew with fifth-placed Chelsea and shared the points in both games against sixth-placed Liverpool. And when they faced City at the Etihad they roared back from two goals down to level and force Guardiola's men into an injury 'time out' before Phil Foden separated the sides late on. Of the top sides only current league leaders Arsenal have found real joy in their two games against Farke's men this season.
Centre-back Jaka Bijol points to the way they have played against the best sides, when asked how exciting it is to play against the best.
"We played so many good teams this season already and I think we showed that we can play against everyone as well," said Bijol. "So playing at home has to be a big challenge for us. It will be a big challenge for us, but I think at home, it's gonna be a wonderful, wonderful game again with our fans. And I'm sure everyone is gonna give their all to get some points again and to show a great performance and to make it hard for them. Yeah, they're pushing for the title. At the moment, we're pushing for points as well. So for sure, it's gonna be a challenge, but I think we're up for it."
During Farke’s press conference to preview the game he was reminded of a time he beat Man City with Norwich City, an achievement he likened to conquering Mount Everest. When it was pointed out to him that some people scale Everest, making it possible, the Leeds boss retorted that some people also die trying. For all of his compliments for 'the best manager in the world' and his star-studded team, the German echoes Bijol's sentiment that Leeds are a proven entity when it comes to punching upwards this season. And they swing most freely at Elland Road, where they have lost just one of their last nine.
"Yeah it's a big, big challenge for us, and a big task, but also a task we're looking forward to," said Farke. "So it's always great to play in our living room, in a full, packed Elland Road. And for that, we're looking forward to a game where we are, of course, the underdog but we've shown also several times that in this role we can deliver convincing performances, and we can make it a tight game. And once we make it a tight game, we also have a chance to win some points. And this is what we're trying to do."
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